


The importance of being earnest

by LadyArmitage



Category: Jurassic World (2015)
Genre: Angst, F/M, I have got no excuse, I just love those two, Issues, Miscomunication, lost of issues, the OC actually ship them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-29
Updated: 2015-07-19
Packaged: 2018-04-06 17:36:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4230768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyArmitage/pseuds/LadyArmitage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Owen is not the same, he has been distracted and a little distant. Claire has been overworking, enough that she might have missed something important going on with her ex-raptor handler. What will Claire do when she get the feeling that the man is drifting away from her? Or it could all be nothing but her imagination?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have no excuse for this, just something that pop up on my mind today I was enslave at work. I am not good at multi-chaptered fics but I will try to finish this one. I was too tired to finish it in one go. Also, I just had no damn idea how to maned this fic and that was the first title that came to my mind. So I apologize in advance for any messiness you find. I pretty much just poured whatever was coming out of my mind on writing and sometimes I do not make much sence

It was a beautiful day in Costa Rica, sunny enough to make you sweat but with a delicious fresh sea breeze that kept you cool. The streets where busy with people: locals and tourists alike. The country was, after all, one of the prefer destination to spend your vacation. 8 months had passed since the cluster fuck of a disaster that had been the Indominus Rex and the media had already started to turn its attention to more recent world problems.

  
Owen smiled as he adjusted his cap low enough to protect his eyes form the midday sun as well as to shield him from any looked that came his way. Now days it was a little easier to walk down a street without having people glaring or coursing you every two steps.

  
Not that there was much he could do about it. The world might have moved on looking for the next big disaster but the PR and legal consequences of their disaster were still hot on their tails. He had to be grateful thought, regarding his indirect involvement on the fiasco and everything that went down after it he had been spared. Having being part of InGen and not on the Masrani payroll lots of the investigation and blame had passed over his head. Not that those damn geneticists where out of blame, Hell! In Owen’s opinion even if the Masrani Corp was to blame for not keeping an eye on what they were creating instead on only on revenue, it has been Dr. Wu and InGen war dogs the real culprits. Still, at this point there was nothing any of them could do, and so Owen decided to simply not look at a gift horse in the mouth and celebrate small victories, even if those where covered in blood.

  
HE stopped at a red light, his mind traveling from his problems to the ones of a certain red headed. Claire, the poor woman was living on a PR nightmare at the moment. As the operation manager she was the ‘face’ of the park and the one to go regarding anything related to the Masrani Global. Of course, the Board of directors didn’t mind to simply let the woman handle anything that the media throw at them. And as much as she was putting on a brave face and taking everything head front he was sure that on all her toughness she was going to burn out sooner or later.

  
The sound of the beeping indicating that pedestrian could cross took the man out of his reverie, he crossed the street and walked a couple of blokes until he reached the edge of the beach. He walked a few meters more until he reached a little Soda. There was an arrangement of plastic tables under huge, rainbow colored umbrellas; a few couples and groups of people already settle down for lunch. He smiled, scanning the area until a voice called out for him “Owen!”

\--------------0----------

Saying that she was having a shitty day was an understatement. No, Claire was having one of the worst days since the one in which she had been chased and almost eaten by dinosaurs. Not that she could do a single thing about it. The Masrani board was using her as cannon fodder. Of course, with Simon Masrani out of the picture they didn’t care much for what was going on other than to turn on themselves to see who would be the next CEO.

  
Yet, she could not complained, It didn’t matter how much everyone keep reminding her that what had happened had not really being her fault she kept placing much of the blame on herself and her poor judgment. Funnily, every time that happen it was Owen’s words that ones that plays on her head _You went and make a new dinosaur? Probably not a good idea_ and how right his words had been. Of course he had been right. As much as it pained her to admit it, she saw what Simon had seen in him when he sent her to ask for his input on the new attraction.

  
And right now she was dealing with the aftermath. As she stared at the lawyers handling lawsuit number god know what, she could not helped but think on how tired she was. She hadn’t been able to rest for more than a few hour in more than 6 months. Last time she was able to actually rest was when she went back to the States to company Karen and the boys and spent a few days with them before having to fly back to Costa Rica and started to pick up the pieces.

  
There were a few good things out of all this mess, if you could count anything as good when you are being held responsible for a disaster of prehistoric proportions.  
She was currently dealing with all the media and their inquires about how this situation was going to end, especially because most people weren’t happy about the fact that Masrani Global wasn’t being really accounted for what happen. True it was their park and their animals and all that but most people forgot that when they booked a ticket to Jurassic World there was a little clause on the contract they sighed stating the following:

  
**_Visitors agree to not hold Jurassic World and its Staff_ **  
**_Responsible for any visitor injuries or accidents incurred during the visit._ **

  
There was a couple of good things she could take out of this whole mess.

  
One was that the Masrani Corp still has her on payroll, so she didn’t have to worry about how she was going to deal with thing monetarily speaking for a while, that and the fact that the Corporation was decent enough to give everyone involved in the incident a ungodly amount of money to cover any necessary expenses. So, technically speaking, she was set on that part.

  
The other good thing was Owen. The man had been true to his word and he had stayed with her. She wouldn’t say it but that meant the world to her. Having someone who could relate to what she was going through was a god sent and Owen, in all his glory, had turned out to be as understanding and patience with her and their current situation as Karen has been in terms of forgiving her almost getting her children killed.

  
She spared a looked at her wristwatch while one of the lawyers went over the details for a settlement for the fourth time that morning. It was 1130am, that would explained why she was so hungry, it was almost lunch time and she had not been able to have breakfast due to all the meeting she had had early that morning. She sighed, she will have to deal with it and hope they could take a break so could grab a snack. Usually Owen interrupted the meetings to get her something to eat if he was around but today he had had an appointment with a friend of his Army days.

  
Someone calling her name made her looked up and smile coldly, yeah, back to business it seems.

\---------0---------

  
Owen took a sip of his beer, enjoying the coldness as it went down his throat before he looked at the tiny brunet who sat in front of him on one of the plastic chairs.  
Sierra was an old friend of his. He had met the girl back on an army base in Afghanistan. The dog trainer in charge of the Explosive detective dogs. It has always seem funny to him the use of those animals to detect land mines yet the first time he saw them in action, outsmarting one of the drones, he understood the significance on them. He remembered approaching the girl trainer and congratulated her animals. She had been taken aback at that, telling him as much when admitting how much it annoyed her when people do that when people congratulated her instead of the animals who did all the job. He had simply smiled and said people where stupid.

That alone was what had cemented their friendship.

  
Moving forward a few years, he was just glad to see her again. She looked the same: long brown hair, short height, hazel eyes, and still looked 21.

  
“This sucks” she said while nursing a glass of iced water. She had contacted him a month ago, just called him and said she was in the country and that she would like to meet.  
It was not a mystery how she got a hold of him. Barry must had given her his contact information. Not a hard thing to get from him, the man has been smitten with her ever since their army days.

  
He shrugged “Tell me about it.”

“Sucks to be you right now, mate.”

  
“What can I say? It is my life.”

She laughed at that “Are you sure about it?”

“Not really but what else can I do?”

“Owen.”

  
“Don’t.”

  
She smiled apologetically and for a few minutes, god blessed her, said nothing.

  
But of course he was not sure about anything anymore. Not that before he had had any idea but at least he had a propose but now he felt useless.

  
She seemed to sense his train of thought because she squeezed his hand to get his attention “We are social creatures, Grady” Sierra said with a smile “we have this pathological need to form a pack around us, being of whatever is available at the time. Just looked at you and your old Navy friends and me and my dogs. We can’t help it. We are not wired to be alone.”

  
There was nothing he could say about that, maybe object her choice of words, but she was absolutely right “Oh, don’t looked at me like that, Owen” she hit him playfully on the arm “It is a good thing.”

  
God, he hoped so.

\------------------0---------------

Later that day, Claire made it back to the house she was currently living in. I was 15 minutes away from the main road, just next to the sea. It was a quiet place where she was able to hide and gathered herself since she had been here. It was not much, not even close to the Suit she had on Isla Nublar but it was hers and that was what it mattered.  
She opened the door and was greeted with the delicious smell of Shrimps, garlic, and spices. She left her purse on the sofa and padded to the kitchen area where she saw a half distracted Owen looking at the sun setting outside the window.

  
“How was your day?’ he asked her without turning around.

  
“It was hell.” she admitted as she closed her arms around his waist and let the heat of his body soothed her. She loved the little moments like this, when there was nothing more other than the two of them, in their little bungalow.

  
He hummed, stroking the hand resting on his stomach absently, lost in thought.

  
Claire thought it was weird but did not pushed, God knows they both had too many thing going on in their minds so she pushed herself up, kissed his neck and with a “I’ll get change” she went to the bedroom.

  
While she changed she could not stop thinking about Owen and his behavior. It was true that she brushed away anything odd coming from him, explaining it as just a way to cope with stress but it has been a while since he had been acting, for a lack of a better word, weirder than usual.

  
It was nothing she could actually pin point in particular, more like a series of little changes on behavior and attitude that seemed to be getting more and more obvious as time goes by.

If she was less of the professional and self-assured woman she was she would be feeling insecure. Fortunately, and as Karen had put it after she had met Owen ‘You are to stay together. Don’t blow it, Claire.’ IT had pissed her off, for sure, how dare Karen to think she was going to fuck the only good thing she got out of that damn experience. Their disaster of a first day did not count anymore, they were different people then.

  
Still, she was not made from stone and lately she had been wondering if something had happened that she had not been aware off.

  
It was a bit selfish if she thought about it. He had stayed with her, moved around until she had settle on their current location and just arranged his life around her schedule.  
It was not to say he was living out of her. He also had a hefty back account courtesy of Masrani so he was also contributing on the living expenses. It was the looking for something to do what seemed to be worrying him.

  
She spent so much time at with her work that if she was honest she really didn’t know how he spent his days or what he was doing. She knew he was looking for jobs, looking for anything that was close to what he was doing at the park as possible but Jurassic World was in no way close, if ever, to reopen and as beautiful and exotic as this country was it still was light years away to have any decent openings for a man used to handle one of the most dangerous animals on the face of the earth and she couldn’t just re locate to the US or another place just yet.

  
She wanted to help, she really did but she had no idea how.

  
At that moment she heard him called her name. Diner was ready.  
\----------------------------------0-----------------------------------

  
He was staring at her while she watched some mindless television. He had been going over his conversation with Sierra all day. His friend had offered him a possibility, the best one he currently had, but he was not sure what it would mean in the long run. A part of him was wishing, as messed up as it might sound, that the Park would open in a future, that he could go back and work with the dinosaurs; that maybe, and after they had gotten all the animals on containment, he could go back and find the last of his girls, alive and well.

  
It was a wishful thought and he knew it, yet it was better than simply giving up. He had loved his girls. All four of them, but if he was being honest with himself he had always had a preference for Blue. She spent her days constantly defying him yet, and as she had showed when she turned against the Indominus, she was the most loyal.  
He missed them all, and it hurt to think about it but this was his life now and I life had thought him anything it was to suck it up and keep moving. Hence why he was so disconcert when Claire was concern.

  
He had liked her since the beginning. The first time he saw the Operation’s Manager on one of her pristine white suit he had stopped dead in his tracks. She was beautiful, at least to him. There was something about her that made him want to grab her, pressed her against the nearest wall and have his way with her. Primal and animalistic way of thinking yet that was how he had felt at the moment.

  
And now, almost 3 years later, he still felt the same.

  
Claire looked away from the screen to stare at Owen. She raised a questioning eyebrow at the intensity on which he was looking at her.

  
He smiled his half smiled, walked up to her and in a swift move, scoped her up in his arms, kissing her.

  
She was taken aback by his actions. Not that she minded his playfulness, as a matter of fact she loved it, it was just a little sudden. Yet, for the way he was kissing her as if his life depended on it, she was not going to complain. If he wanted to have his wicked way with her right then and there she was game.

  
He kissed her hard and fast for a few seconds more before turning their exchange into something gentler. He enjoyed the way she went with it. She always responded to his advances in the most delicious of ways: sometimes she scrapped the back of his neck with her long fingernails, others she run her fingers through his hair. And his favorite was when she crossed her legs around his waist and moved her hips up and down on him, sending chills throughout his body. Like right now.

He moaned before breaking for air “Let’s take this to the bedroom.”

  
She smiled seductively “Yes”

He mirrored her smiled.

  
He still had lots of thing to think about, lots of plans to make and he still needed to find time to talk to her, but right now, in this moment, all of that could wait. Right now, he felt the most alive he had felt on a while.

 

tbc


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much, too busy at work today but this part was not going to leave me worked until I wrote it down.
> 
> Also, I hope you notice I do not have a Beta reader and English happens not to be my native language. So BEWARE of the horrorgraphy.

Owen lay wide awake on their bed. It has been a couple of days since he saw Sierra and he still was not sure on what to do. This seriously pissed him off. He was not a man to dwell in doubt, no; on the contrary, he was a man of action yet here he doubted his own mind as if he was a 2 year old boy who was just starting to realize he was alive. In his friend’s wise words _this really sucked_

He tilted his head to catch a glimpse of the sleeping woman currently using his stomach as pillow. He smiled. Some days the only thing that could ground him was the sight of her. He looked at her for a moment, then the clock. It was past 01:13. He carefully disentangled from her. Thankfully these days, she was so tires it was difficult that something woke her up.

He made his way to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator and grabbed one of the water bottles going outside. He appreciated moments like this, calm and quiet, only the sound of animals and the roaring sea. It reminded him of his home back at the Island. He still remembered the time they offered him a place at the handler’s quarters: A/C and all the luxuries but he was having none of it, not because he was some kind of antisocial asshole, he just felt better out in the open. So, with the Masrani Global permission, he got his little house down the beach, to which he attached his trailer and he was set. IT was home and his retreat when he needed time alone.

So yes, he appreciates the setting Claire had chosen for their current stay.

He drank the water in one go, leaving the bottle over the railing of the porch and fished hid cellphone from his pants. HE didn’t bother to see the screen as he speed dialed one of his contacts. It rang twice before someone picked up “Yes?”

“Hello Barry.”

“Owen, my friend. Are you alright?” was the first thing Barry asked. Actually, the thing he always asked whenever Owen called him. It made him feel equally glad and annoyed.

“Couldn’t sleep. I take you are the same. You answered right away.”

“Yeah, trying to get away from dreams with too many teeth and sharp claws.”

“Got you” Owen could completely relate to that. His usually did not involve being eaten by huge lizard like animals but actually a vivid detailed screening of how he lost his girls…and occasionally he was eaten by a huge lizard like animal.

“I guess that will always come back to say hi once in a while.” Barry was a practical man, not bothering with going on the same issues and subject too much. He was a _what happened, happened_ , and _what it’s done is done_ kind of man.

That was shy Owen loved to get him flipping every time he did something reckless, which was pretty much 20 out of 24 hours on a normal day.

“Yeah.”

“Ok, what is it? You didn’t just call me to see if I was awake or to simply say hi. What is eating you?”

Perceptive bastard.

 “Nothing  really. Just couldn’t sleep.” It was in part true, he was not able to sleep and thought maybe by hearing a familiar voice he could feel a little better but now that Barry put in in perspective it sounded as if he was falling apart “That’s all.”

“Yeah, right.” Barry was so not fooled by his antics “I guess you spoke with Sierra.” Owen snorted. Smartass “I’ll take that as a yes. Are you going to take her up to her offer?”

Owen pinched the bridge of his nose “I still don’t know.”

There was a moment of silence before his friend spoke again “It is because of your girl? Because I do not think she will mind that much.”

“It has nothing to do with Claire.” He said, perhaps a little too defensive, but it was the true. His lack of ability to decide what to do next had nothing to do with her.

“Hey, I didn’t mean anything.” Barry started.

Owen sighed “Sorry, I’ just tired, that is all.”

“No kidding. Just get your shit together, my friend. If I can tell over the phone that you are a mess I am not sure how your tenacious red head of a girlfriend has not confronted you yet.”

Which was the million dollar question. He holds it on to the fact the woman was busy. Not that she did not care just that she did not have a second to spare to actually care. He did not mind, it meant more time for him to figure out what was going to be his next move. Still, Barry was right, he was postponing the inevitable. It wasn’t like him to dwell on things. Think fast, act faster. That was his motto.

He looked over his shoulder the moment he heard footsteps. He decided on that second.  “You know what? I think I will.”

Barry laughed on the other side of the line “Ok, bud, let me know how it goes. And say Hi to Claire for me.”

Owen hung up and turned to face the woman. “Can’t sleep?”

She stayed were she was standing: leaned against the doorframe “Can’t you?” she asked back, an eyebrow raised.

He shook his head; he was really in no mood to pick a fight with her so he gave in “I just wanted something to drink, got distracted with Barry.”

 

\--------------0-------------

Claire woke up all at once, startled and sweating. She sat up and tried to catch her breath. She didn’t have nightmares, not the regular traumatic experience retailing of an experience kind, just fragments and random dreams that sometimes involved dinosaurs and fire and blood. It was ok with her, she had undergone a couple of months of therapy sessions but they ended up to be more to help her deal with the stress of Masrani Global and the media that to deal with anything traumatic. At first she had felt bad, how could she not being having her dreams plagued with ferocious monsters yet her therapist told her it was normal, that not everyone had the same reactions. She should count herself lucky; at least she was able to sleep most nights. She still felt sorry about the boys, especially for Zach. The poor guy had those horrible recurrent nightmares in which he watched Gray die without being able to do a single thing.

Still, there where nights like this one, in which she didn’t really dream of anything but felt everything. She took a few calming breaths before reaching out next to her. She looked to the side the moment her hand encounter an empty, cold space.

Nights when she woke up alone on her bed where not rare. Owen went through a period in which he could not sleep for more than two hour without waking up ready to strike whatever was hunting his dreams. Thankfully it got better after they were able to settle down on this house, away from the media.

She sighed and got out of bed, knowing she was going to find him out in the porch. He always went there when he wanted to be alone. It must has been that the scenery here was really close to the one he had outside his old house, It must remind him of home.

Claire tried to be as quiet as possible as she followed the sound his voice. As she got nearer she was able to distinguish some of the words of his phone conversation:

 _Right_ and _don’t know_ but what made her stop dead was _It has nothing to do with Claire_

She tried to listen carefully, tried to see if she could get an explanation about yet she realized that was not going to happen the moment he turned around and saw her. She played it cool. She continued walking until she was at the porch door and leaned against the frame.

Then raised an eyebrow at this “Can’t sleep?”

“Can’t you?”

It was a game they played, going on in circles until one of them cracked, it was a nice way to pass time, but today I seemed he wasn’t in the mood

“I just wanted something to drink, got distracted with Barry.”

She smiled “Ah, you two keep odd hours.”

She shrugged “Old habits die hard. Btw, he said Hi.”

Claire liked Barry, she didn’t really know him that well, had probably see him only a handful of times but he knew Owen cared for the man and that was what mattered.

They stood there for a while, saying nothing, they have been doing that a lot lately if she thought about it, it used to not bother her but now it was driving her crazy. Still, she was not going to confront him. She will waited until he was ready to tell her whatever it was that was going on in his mind.

She sighed.

\-------------------0------------------

“Are you coming back to bed?” She asked her after a moment.

“Later”

He saw the tired lines on her forehead and the way she slumped her shoulders yet he couldn’t feel guilty enough to go back with her. Not yet, he had something to do, and hopefully it would fix all this to some degree.

Claire stared right at him and that moment he knew she must know something.

She then turned around and made her way back to the bedroom, closing the door a little forcefully behind her.

Owen let out a long, tired sigh. Just a little longer. That is all he needed.

Opening his phone for a second time, he dialed to his newest contact who picked up almost immediately.

“Sierra, I’m game.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should work on fics while I am at work, I have been writing more this way than when I do have time and sat down to work on fics XD. As always, just my usual brand of bad grammar and nonsensical plot.

Claire suppressed a sigh, not very professional when in a room full of Media outlets. Today was one of those days in which Masrani was doing what she call ‘We are working on fixing things and so we are letting you know’ campaign. In her opinion it was a cheap tactic but it keep people interested as well as off their backs.

She was given the script she had written the night before. Not one of her best works but it was just what they needed. Besides, her mind wasn’t really in the game today. As a matter of fact, it hasn’t been on anything since the night she overheard Owen on the phone.

She recalled asking him about it the night before.

_They were sitting on the porch; listening to some Soccer game she did not really understand, Spanish was not one of her strong suits, yet Owen enjoyed listening to them so she make time to sit with him. She looked over the screen of her laptop_

_“It is everything alright?” she knew how much that pissed him off. It pissed her off too, really, having people on her case every time she was lost in thought. Yet, this was a little different than the average: I want to know if you are ok or not thing but more of a what the hell is going on with you? Kind of thing._

_Owen nodded absently, not bothering to open his eyes. And that was what sent her flipping “What is it?!”_

_And that he did bother to look at her. The expression on his face would have been comical if Claire’s blood wasn’t boiling “Seriously, Owen, something has been going on with you and I have tried to let you to it, God knows I have my own set of problems but this is getting ridiculous.”_

_Owen blinked a couple of times, taken aback by the anger and frustration in her voice and that simply made her lost it. She closed her computer and got up “Don’t bother to come to bed tonight.” Andstormed out of there._

Yeah, it hasn’t been one of her most graceful moments, and he had left her alone that night, as a matter of fact, he wasn’t even at the house in the morning. All she found was a post it note next to her traveling coffee mug ‘I’ll be back tonight. I am sorry.’

The meeting finished and she made her way out of the place, not bothering to answer any question thrown her way. She had been really patience with all this mess but right now, and for the first time in a while, she needed to focus on her own problems.

Once she reached the safety of her car she called Karen.

Her sister picked up after a few seconds.

“Claire! My goodness, it’s been a while.

“Yes, sorry I haven’t called, I…”

“Pfffff” Karen interrupted “Don’t be. I know you are busy. Still, knowing how you are once in a while would be nice” she teased “And speaking about nice. How is that boyfriend of yours? The boys don’t quit bothering me into asking you when you two are coming to visit. Between you and me, I think they are smitten with him. I feel a little jealous.”

“We will see.”

“Ok, spill it up.” Karen said “I know something is going on. I can feel it.”

Claire laughed at that. Karen always said that the moment she became a mother she had develop superpowers, and sometimes Claire was inclined to believe it “It’s nothing, really.”

“Nothing my ass. Is it Owen? But of course it has to be. You can do your job in your sleep but when it comes to him you have no idea what you are doing”

“Hey!  What is that supposed to mean?”

“Please, Sis, you really think I am going to buy that tough girl façade of yours? WE grew up together. I know how bad at boy stuff you have always being. Remember senior year? Prom night? Your scheduled first date with Him?”

“OK! I see your point; there is no need to rub salt on the wounds.” Karen laughed out loud. Claire sighed and decided to be honest with her. After all, she was looking for some light on what was happening and even if Karen wasn’t there she could throw some new light on the matter “He had been acting weird.”

“Define weird.”

“I don’t really know. He seems distracted, lost on his thoughts most of the time. It feels as if he wasn’t really there.”

“Does he sleep with you?”

“Jesus, Karen!” Claire blushed.

“Don’t ‘jesus’ me, I need to know if he is still interested or if I have to fly down to Costa Rica and kick his sorry, yet really attractive, ass.”

The red head sighed “Yes, he does, thank you very much. I didn’t mean it like that. I don’t really know how to explain it, he is there but not there. He is more quiet and serious than he ever was, it’s as if his mind was in a whole different plane of existence. What do you think?”

Karen said nothing for a while; Claire swore she could hear the gears of her sister’s brain moving, until the other woman sighed “You are not going to like what I think it is.”

 

\-------------------0---------------

Sierra laughed as she enjoyed the sight of Owen being tackled by 3 Akita puppies that were set on the task of licking his face.

It was good to see him so animated. It hasn’t scape her how out of it he had been. She remembered a man full or energy and passion, just like the puppies she was currently taking care off but the one she encounter after her initial phone call could have well being a complete stranger. Barry wasn’t kidding when he told her their friend had taken all that had happened really hard. Not that it was hard to imagine, she herself had her own set of issues and problems courtesy of her days in the field but it took her only one simple look to know that PTSD was not what was eating Owen up.

She knew the look, that of someone who had something precious taken away from him by some asshole’s careless action. It happened to her and it has taken her almost 2 years to go back on her feet. That was why she had come up with this idea. It was kind of Childish and definitely no way near to what he used to do but if it worked for her it might work for him.

Still, as she saw the smile reaching his eyes she knew they had been right. This might worked after all.

“They like you.”

The man grabbed one of the dogs and put him away from his face “Well, can you blame them?”

“There you are! Long time no see, mate.” Owen glared at her for half a second before his expression shifted back to worry “Jesus, I am sorry, Ok? I didn’t mean it. I’m just glad to see the old you again.”

“Nah, it’s not your fault.” He smiled at her “As a matter of fact I should have notice it already but what can I say? sometimes I have my head up my ass.” He left the puppy inside its kennel, got up and help the girl to her feet “I really appreciate what you are doing.”

“Any time. Besides, I really could use the help; especially with the devil incarnated I have locked in the back.”

“Didn’t you know? Dealing with things that want to rip your head off is my specialty.”

Sierra elbowed him on the side. She was not one to take on his bushtit, never had, never will “So, now that you have seen what I am about, do you want to talk business?”

Owen’s smirk was all the answered she needed.

\-------------------0------------------

Claire sat on a bench at Paseo de los Turistas, a forgotten Casado next to her. She drove there after her conversation with her sister to get some lunch before heading back to the house but had sat there, thinking, for the past couple of hours. Her conversation with Karen got her all worked up. Not because she thought what the other woman told her could be true but because at that moment she was not sure about anything.

He had not called her all day, the only clue she had of him still being alive has his note. Part of her was hurt that after what happened the night before he has not bother to call or talked to her, yet, who was she to be mad, really? She didn’t really make any effort to contact him either.

Well, sitting there worrying about things was not going to solve anything. Taking her phone out of her purse, she dialed his number.

The moment the line clicked her world was sent into overdrive.

“Hello” a laughing female voice said “Owen can't come to the phone right now” she could distinguished a clear **_‘The heck are you doing, give me that phone, woman’_**  on the background “No” the girl said, laughing even harder. Sadly, before Claire could say a word there was the sound of struggle, more laughter, then a _**Oh shit**_  ,followed by a loud crack and then silence.

So that's how it was, the red head thought as she willed her hands to stop shaking. Apparently Karen had been right.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seem to be more productive on fiction writing when they forced me to start working at 5pst than in doing my actual job.
> 
> Also, Drama, drama everywhere...

Owen should be pissed at the brunet, so goddamn mad for her being all childish and costing him a phone. Not that he was found of the damn thing or anything, but he was not used to people being as annoying as he used to be in the past. Well, she was younger than him and he might had started the whole back and forth back at the kennels but still.

God, he felt so old.

Sierra looked at him from over her shoulder while she waited for the salesman to finish processing their purchase “Are you still sulking?”

Owen glared “I do not suck.”

“Really?” Sierra said, eyebrow rose “Because I could swear you where pouting 5 seconds ago.” The woman smirked at the annoyed look on his face “Chill out, Grady. It is not as if it was the end of the world.”

“I do not appreciate what you did.”

“Come on! We were playing. And in my defense, you did ask me to answer the phone.”

He could not argue with that statement. He had, in fact, asked her to pick up the moment the damn thing rang while he was going over the terms and conditions of the contract at the same time there where fur balls dancing around all over the place. He might be a bit distracted and happy to care until the exact second he realized what he had requested from Sierra and who might be calling. If it was Barry, he wouldn’t mind, most likely just chat with her and call later, but if the person who had called was Claire… He didn’t think she would get the wrong idea, I mean, he couldn’t recall any instance in which he might have done something that could translate on him cheating or wanting to cheat on her,

Fuck! He would never admit it, not even if he somehow found himself at the mercy of another Indominus Rex, but he was embarrassingly in love with the woman.

At the beginning, and after everything that had gone down, he thought their relationship was going to be something fleeting, just a burst of adrenaline and instinct born out of a traumatic experience and then each of them would go their way. But the more time he spent with her, he started to realize just how incredible the girl was. Yes, she was annoyingly organized and bossy, but she could be brave and compassionate. He even liked her nephews, they were smart kids.

Still, he would be lying if he said that if that ever happened to him he wouldn’t go all worked up until finding exactly what was going on. Especially after their fight.

He want’s sure if he could call it a really a fight. In his book a fight needed both parts to participate and he had been so taken aback by her outburst that he hadn’t being able to utter a single word. He did respected her request not to disturb her that night so he had slept in the guest room and hadn’t being able to clear the air due to his early meeting with his current companion.

They finished buying his new phone and Sierra insisted on treating him to a beer before he went his way.

The brunet said nothing more until they were inside her car “Is everything ok? Because If I really did mess up you now you can ask me to go and clear the air with whoever was on the other line.”

Owen finished setting his new phone and looked for any leftover information regarding calls on his Simcard but was not able to find any. He dialed Claire’s phone and waited but it rang a few times before it went straight to voicemail. Weird, she usually always answered his calls if she was out of meetings and he knew for a fact that she was currently free.

This was looking even more horrible by the minute. He tried again but with the same results. Ok, no time for panic, she might be actually busy or simply still mad regarding yesterday. He turned to Sierra who was still staring at him, waiting for an answer. He smiled, he could not be mad at her, he knew well she would in fact go and do whatever he asked her to do if she needed to fix a problem she had caused “I don’t know yet.”

“You know that if you need me I am a ring away.”

“I know, thanks”

“So!” she said in a much lighter mood “How about I buy us some drinks and you tell me about this lady or yours. Because, I am impress you have kept a girl for so long without having sent her running for the hills.”

“I am not that bad.”

“Keep telling that to yourself, Grady. We shared rooms once, remember? And I still have nightmares.”

\------------0--------------

Claire was walking down the beach in front of her house. Thank god for private communities, this way she could looked the wreck of a person she currently was and not caring for curious looks and whispered words.

She was been trying to be objective about the situation, there has to be an explanation about what she had heard. Which was that explanation? Sadly she has no damn idea. She thought no one could blame her at the moment; she was not exactly in the right frame of mind to deal with anything of this nature.

Claire sat down on the sand, letting the waves tickle her feet. This was why she hadn’t wanted a second date with Owen the first time around. For once, she was really busy with work, always had, and being a woman in a position of power within a huge Global organization was not an easy feet. It had taken her years of hard work to get where she was and sure as hell she was not going to jeopardize it because of a fling. Yet, she was not made of stone, and it had taken just one good look at the sexy newest Raptor Handler for her to start having ideas. It had not helped that the man seemed incapable of stop teasing and flirting. So yeah, she had agreed to have a night out with him after a few months of watching him by the corner of her eye, hoping he didn’t notice. But he had, and that had been what terrified her and made her sabotage the date. In her defense, she was an organized person and under normal circumstance she would have made some sort of plan on how to spend the night but that would had only be a brainstorming of ideas. Yet, he had cared, she had noticed the moment his smiled turned brighter when she accept his offer, so she panicked and went and did what she did.

Also, the board shorts had really annoyed her, even if he was being right about Central American weather.

But right now, and after everything they went through, she had been willing to give it another chance. After all, he had saved her and her family, while losing something really precious. So, why not? He had said they should stay together for survival and at that moment she was willing to go and do whatever he asked for it. Very retrograde way of thinking and right now she felt she had set back feminism years back but that had been how she felt at the moment.

And it had been good. Better than she ever expected. Not only Owen was a great guy, her family seemed to like him, sometimes she felt they like him more than her; he had been ridiculously supportive regarding her involvement with Masrani Corp and stayed at her side when she was sent as the Guinea pig of the company. He had held her the few times memories became too much and, as embarrassing as it was, the sex had help a lot.

Maybe that was it; maybe it was not that it had been too good to be true.

Maybe she had been so caught up on her own drama that she had overlooked him. He was human after all and even with all his goofiness and badassery (Zack’s words) he might be just as messed up as she was.

She laughed at herself. How convenient, she was turning into one of those characters in the romance novels she will never admit she dig as a teen.

But even if it was like that, and she had in fact overlook whatever was going on with Owen for far too long she couldn’t stop feeling broken at the idea of Karen being right

_Claire held her breath, waiting for her sister to drop the bomb._

_“Are you sure you want me to tell you what I think?” Karen asked._

_Claire appreciate the gesture yet she needed to hear it “Yes.”_

_“He might be seeing someone else.”_

And that was Claire was dreading. She didn’t want to believe it. It was ridiculous to think he was able to do such a think but now that she put things on perspective it was a possibility.

Part of her was destroyed about it, the other, the practical one that had ruled her action for most of her life said that it was in fact possible and that she might have a lot to do with it.

Well, better get over it. She was still a practical woman and was not going to go down without a fight so she will confront him and see what was going on.

With that in mind, she got up and walked up to the house, she took the road that got her directly to the front of the house, and there she saw an unfamiliar car in their driveway.

\----------0------

Owen got out of the car, a goofy smiled on his face.

“Thanks for the ride.”

“No problem. I wasn’t going to let you drive that motorcycle of yours after our little party.”

“Says the one that had the great idea of opening a bottle of Jack Daniels.”

“ME? I wasn’t the one who drank half of it in one go, was I?” she smirked again at this unimpressed expression “Don’t worry. I will bring your bike tomorrow.”

“It’s ok. I will take a cab and go back to your place.”

“Suit yourself. See you later Grady.”

He did something impulsive, he leaned inside her open car window and kissed the top of her head “Yeah, see you, and thank you.”

Sierra smiled sweetly at him before driving away.

He stood there, waiting until the car was out of sight before turning around to go into the house.

To his surprise, there stood Claire.

He didn’t have to be a genius to interpret the look on the woman’s face

She glared at him and turned around to leave

_Oh shit_

“Let me explain”

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a short chapter but I was a tat busy today. Not much, just some beautiful drama :3

Owen followed Claire down the beach. Part of him told him that it was better to leave her alone yet he was not willing to put up with the idea of her thinking the worst of him

“Leave me alone, Owen.”

“Claire, please.” He didn’t want to say ‘It is not what you think’ not because it was not true, but because in his book that was the best phrase to say GUILTY AS CHARGE “Come on. Let’s talk.”

At that she stopped and looked back “Talked, you want us to talk?! Oh, this is just perfect. But of course you want to talk now. No, Owen, I don’t want to talk. There’s NOTHING to talk about.”

He raised his hands in a submissive matter, recognizing she was in no frame of mind to argue. Still, he couldn’t just leave thing like this. First, because he didn’t appreciate people thinking the works of him. At least, no people he cared about. And second, if he could deduce what most people would be thinking regarding this kind of situation, he didn’t want anyone thinking the worst of Sierra. His friend wasn’t at fault here. And he knew he was in part to blame for all this mess.

“Claire” he tried again “Look, I know you are mad but whatever it is that you might be thinking, she has nothing to do with this.” And at that he knew he screw up.

“Excuse me, but I don’t really care anymore. It has nothing to do with me anyhow.”

Owen was confused “What?”

She walked up to him “It was you said to Barry the other night no? That whatever it is going on with you has nothing to do with me. Well, go on. Do whatever you want but be a man about it.”

“Wow, what are you talking about?” really, he was at lost here. Noting the woman had said made a sense.

“Oh, now you play you don’t know. This is priceless! Your conversation with Barry.”

“My conversation with…wait a minute, were you listening to my conversations?”

For once, Claire has the decency to look abashed “I overheard you talking the other night.”

It took him a few seconds to put two and two together but once he did his expression change to one of pain “Really woman? It’s not what you think.”

“You don’t even know what I think! Don’t come get even with me because for trying to make sense to the current situation with whatever little piece of information I have got. You don’t tell me anything about what is going on!”

At that moment Owen decided that it was going to be impossible to reason with her until she had calm down. And honesty, he was in no mood not had the energy to deal with all this. It was for the best if he walked away now before someone said something so stupid both of them would regret later.

“Look, I know I haven’t exactly been open regarding what is going on, and I am sorry, ok? But this has not been exactly easy for me. Still, I am not going to have this conversation until you have calm down enough to actually listen to what I have to say.” Said this he started to back away.

Sadly, Claire didn’t seem to be ready to drop the subject and did the stupidest thing she could: she pushed “Go on then, walk away, that seems to be what you know how to do best.”

Owen turned around slowly and the expression he wore was enough to shut Claire up instantly. To hell with her feeling, this situation, everything “Should I remind you who was the one who went looking for MY help when her family was in danger? A danger they would have never been exposed to if _you_ people wouldn’t have think you could play god. How about how I decided to stay and help and almost got eaten by a freaking dinosaur?! Because, let me tell you Claire, that was not exactly a fun day.”

She was furious, how dare he get mad at her for that, it hasn’t been her fault “I never force you to help me Mr. Grady. I lost my fair share on that Island.” The moment those words left her lips she knew she fucked up, big time.

“Don’t tell me about loses, woman. Don’t you damn dare to even comment of what I lost back there.”  He glared at here, trembling with the effort to try and keep his rampant emotions in check “You know what? I don’t have to stay here and listen to this bullshit. You have always been like this. Everything is good as long as it goes as you plan but the moment things get out of your control you start looking for faults in others. Well, guess what? I am not one of your damn business partners, I don’t have to smile and nod and abide to what you want, but I did, because I thought it was really going to be worth it, that was going to work this time around. I don’t know what I was thinking.” He looked at her one last time, taking on her glassy eyes and trembling lips, not really caring anymore before walking away.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a very productive day, I am afraid. Sorry for the lameness of this chapter.

Sierra was not sure what was going on. She was on her way back to the kennels when her phone went off

“Yes.”

“I need your help.” It was Owen and by the sound of his voice she notice things where not good. At all

She stopped the car at the side of the road “Talk to me Grady.”

He sighed “I’m sorry to bother you but…”

“Shut the fuck up, where are you?”

Walking down the road from the cottage. Probably a couple of miles away.

She turned her car around and speed back from where she just came “Stay put.”

It took her 15 minutes and a couple of broken traffic laws to get back but she finally spotted the man leaning against a fence. She opened her door “Hop in.”

She drove back to her home in silence. For once, she had no idea what had just happen, and second he didn’t look like he wanted to talk at the moment.

Part of her was sure she had something to do with whatever shit storm that had gone down. In her experience she usually was at fault, even by simply being in the wrong place a t the wrong time.

Once she parked on her driveway the man got out and shut the door. Sierra sighed. This was not going go well, she was sure of it.

“Owen” she called as he walked straight down to her kennels. The dogs started barking, obnoxious, as if they could felt his current mood. He walked up to the last one, the one where she kept the Satan spawn of a dog she still had not the hard to put to sleep for being violent. The huge Akita looked up from his position at the end of the cage and stared at the man, unimpressed.

Seriously, if he didn’t start to make sense in the next 10 seconds, Sierra would have to hit him over the head until he did.

“Why is she like this?” he said out of the blue.

Sierra had no idea what the hell was going on but she went with it “She had a rough life.”

“And her name?”

“Blaze.”

He knelt in front of the cage, the animal started to growl in warning “Hello girl.”

The animal clearly didn’t like him, she started to growl even harder, clearly letting him know that if he did anything he was going to be sorry.

“Owen, What is going on? What happened?”

The man didn’t look at her “Do you think I’m an asshole?”

“Most times out of not, yes. But you make up for it in charm.” She said tying to light the mood.

He smiled as the girl knelt next to him. The animal had decided to ignore both of them and retreat to her house to sleep.

Sierra bumped her shoulder with Owen’s “Seriously, bro, you are starting to worry me.”

He finally looked at her “I think I just screw the only good thing I got out of that fucking Island.”

\----------------------------0--------------------------------

Claire didn’t cry. Not because she didn’t feel like it. God only knew how much she wanted to sank to her knees and cry her heart out, but because she was not going to give him, or anyone the privilege to break her down. Even if she knew that was complete bullshit.

She knew there was no way to justify Owen’s cruel words. He didn’t have to say what he said. It has been a low blow. Yet, part of her knew he had not being lying. All he said was the true, for crueler that it might be. How was she going to argue against him? IT was true, all of it. She made have not made the Indominus but she didn’t care to understand the process or the animal itself. As he had said once, for her, they used to be numbers on a spreadsheet. And maybe that was the reason he had been so mad. She only view thing in figures and numbers: that was the way her life had been for years.

She wasn’t good at this dating thing, as he had so gently put it. She had seen Karen straggled since day one with her relationships. She herself had never been good at it either, that was why she simply didn’t bother anymore, and she could focus her energy on more productive things.

What to do now? Well, most likely what she always did, suck it up and get going.

\----------------------------0--------------------------------

Sierra had her head resting against Owen’s thigh. She has no idea what time it was. Since Owen had told her the whole thing that went down with Claire, she decided on her line of bad ideas that cracked the rest of whatever alcohol she had at home was the best thing ever. And at that moment both of them were pretty much hammered.

Not the brightest of ideas, but the situation had call for it.

He had told her everything, from the moment he had met the red head to the last 5 hours of his current life. It had surprised her. She never thought she would see the day Owen Grady finally found the one who didn’t want to murder him after spending more than a couple of days with him.

She was happy for him. Really, she was. It was always good to see one of your friends to get something good after a situation like the one he went through. Hence why she could understand he was such a mess at the moment.

Men like him, you know the type: hardcore, overconfident males, where not used to be a mess. Mix that with the other side of this man: the funny, sweet gentleman he could be, and you got recipe for disaster.

He was feeling bad for what he had said. He was feeling bad for saying it and worst, he was felling even worst because he knew he was right and he didn’t like to feel bad for had been right.

Yeah, life was a fucking mess for people like them but they had to do with whatever shitty hand life gives them and make the most out of it.

Right now, though, she needed to look for a way to help.

“Tell me something” she started “What is your plan now?”

“No fucking idea.”

“You know you can crash here until you have figure it out but if you want my honest opinion I think you should go and try to fix this mess.”

He laughed out loud “Yeah, right. Because going back with a ‘Hey, I am sorry I was a dick’ is going to fix it.”

She hit him on the leg “Don’t be stupid, Grady. Of course it won’t. Most likely it will blow up on your face.”

“That’s not very reassuring.”

“I’m trying to be realistic.” She sat down to face him “Look, I am the last person who should be giving advice, apparently I am part of this whole mess but one thing I can assure you: The longer you leave her to think the worst, the harder it will be to get her back.”

“Who said I want to go back?”

Sierra glared at him “Don’t give me that bullshit, Owen. You love her, it is painfully obvious. Don’t let your, and her, pride to get the best out of this.”

“Oh, you talking out of experience?”

“What we had was different. You were not going to stay and I was not going to invest my feeling on an idiot like you.”

“You left.”

“Only because you never told me to stay. And let’s face it. It wasn’t love, just awesome sex.”

He smiled at that “You know it.”

“Jesus Christ, talking to you while drunk is impossible. All I am saying is that if you really want to make this work you need to go back and face the beast.” She pride herself on making him laughed again

He sober up after a while “I don’t think she will want to listen to a word I have to say. How can I fix it if I can’t explain?”

“Well then. Let me prepare the road for you then.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Easy weekend at the office. I must say, this busts my fic writing skills but kills my productivity. 
> 
> I regret nothing!

Of course it was easier said that done.

Sierra and Owen spent the rest of the day plus a good amount of the next getting over their hangovers. Granted, both of them could function just as well but who was going to pass on the luxury of resting until 4pm in the afternoon, ordering in junk food, and just sleep.

It gave them time to think.

Owen had tried to call Claire once, see if he could at least let her know he was still around but it went straight to voice mail. He didn’t bother after that.

On the other hand, Sierra was trying to come up with an idea on how to help the man. Sure, she had said she as going to go and talk to the red head first but if she was been honest with herself, she ha no idea what to say. Life was not like in the movies of books, that was for sure, if it was she would be living a happy life as a space pirate but sometimes it came really close, specially on those occasions in which fiction copy reality. Hence why she was trying to come up with a plan that didn’t involve just going up to Claire and say “I am NOT your man’s lover”, it was true, sure, but she had the slight idea that it would make other woman even more furious. God knew it would make her lose it and there was nothing worst that be at the receiving end of a woman’s wrath.

There goes the saying “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”

And Sierra might have military training but she was still not going to try and poke on the other woman’s feeling. She respected her a great deal especially after Owen’s story with the T-Rex. And that is something she wasn’t sure she could have done.

So, two days later, there she was, driving him back to his house, after he assured her Claire wasn’t going to be home, to pick up a few things.

She pulled on the driveway and waited as he went inside.

It took him no more than 10 minutes before he got out, face pale. She simply raised and eyebrow and let out a long, frustrated sigh. She was able to anticipate his words even before he said them.

She was not longer living in the house.

\---------------------0---------------------

Claire sat on her hotel chair, looking out to the breath taking view of the Pacific Ocean.

It has been a spur of the moment decision, this of getting out and going to a hotel, but after much deliberation she thought it was for the best to have time and space. And she was sure she was not going to get neither of those things. How could she? That house had become home, the first one she had in a long time, and it was full of them: pictures of her family, of her and Owen, his shoes and shirts all over the place, her jackets and papers on every available surface. It simply was not a place for her to stay if what she wanted was to re evaluate her life.

She had called Karen, and the woman had known there was something terribly wrong going on but, god blessed her, haven’t said a word. Claire had made it a social call.

She knew she was dragging the inevitable, there was no way things would go back to normal, and part of her didn’t want them to be. It was weird. She love him, as a matter of fact there was no way to deny it, loving him came to her as natural as breathing. She enjoyed his company, his offbeat humor, even his crankiness in the mornings when he hadn’t had his first cup of coffee. But things couldn’t be perfect forever. Or as perfect as they could have made them.

She took her phone from the side table and turned it on. It hadn’t been her intention to have it off on the first place, she knew Owen wasn’t going to call, if ever, until he had cool off, and she wasn’t one to call crying back. She just hadn’t notice her battery had drawn out. The first thing she did after plugging it was to call the office and request for a couple of days off. She didn’t remember when was the last time she had asked for it, thank god the person who took her call was kind enough to listen to her request and without much off a fuss simply approved her to have some time out of all the madness.

Claire made a mental not to thank that person in any way she could.

She stared at her screen saver. It was a picture of Owen in board shorts. Gray had taken it the last they were in the country, a couple of months after the incident, when Karen had to flight back to settle some legal issues, the boys had crashed at their place and to her amazement, Owen had turned into a 15 year old, spending time with them, teaching them how to surf and other things. It had been a fun week, even if she had spent it mostly in and out of meetings and didn’t really had time to be with her family.

She touched she screen and notice there where a few messages and calls missing. The moment she checked she notice they were from Owen. She didn’t read them, not even bother to even open them. She just erased them.

She sighed. For the first time in her life, Claire Dearing was not sure what to do.

\---------------------0---------------------

She helped him look around the place for any sign of a note or anything that could help them to figure out where she had gone but it was obvious that Claire hadn’t care on letting him know about it.

Part of her was impressed at how calm the other man looked. Yes, his initial reaction had been to be expected, who wouldn’t look at the edge of a panic attack on this kind of situation to then look as calm as a clam? It was freaky but she didn’t comment on it.

Owen sat at on the stairs of his porch; his head on his hands, shoulders slumped. The poor man looked miserable. She sat next to him.

“I guess this is it.” He said in resignation.

“Hell no.” Sierra assured him. She vowed then and there that even if she had to set Blaze free on the woman’s ass she was not going to let her friend look so damn miserable. Granted, he had asked for this to happen, but it was also her fault for not pressured the man on making a decision sooner or simply to pester him on getting his act together.

God, now she felt guilty and she hated to feel guilty about things what weren’t even her fault.

She looked up and saw one of those streets vendors that went from house to house and got an idea. She called out to him.

“Disculpe” she said as she got near “Le puedo preguntar algo?”

“Pues claro que si, señorita” the man said politely.

“Por casualidad usted ha visto a la mujer que vive aquí?”

“No la he visto en los últimos dos días.” the man looked suspesious at her “por que?”

Siera smiled her best innocent smile “Somos sus amigos y pasamos a visitarla de sorpresa pero al parecer no esta.”

The man smiled at Sierra “Creo que se fue de viaje o algo así. Ayer la vi salir con una maleta e irse en un taxi.”

“Oh bueno, muchas gracias.” She said and the man went his way.

Owen raised an eyebrow at her “What? I have been living here for a while. SO, apparently your girl left.” he rolled his eyes at the obvious statement. She ignored him “The good thing is that I am pretty sure she is still in the country.”

“Your spider senses told you that?”

“Jesus, I am going to hit you. No idiot, **think**. If she were to leave the country where would she go?”

“To her sister…Oh yeah, if she was going there she would have phoned her and in returned Karen would had called me to chew my ass off.”

“Someone give the man a cookie.” She ignored his glare “We know she is not answering your calls, so, the question now is how do we find out where is she?”

\---------------------0---------------------

Claire was dozing off until her phone went off. She looked at the screen intended to hung up if it was the ex-raptor handler but smiled the moment she saw Gray’s name flashed on her screen.

“Hello Aunt Claire” the boy said happily

“Hello, Gray. How are you?”

“I am fine. I have been trying to call you since yesterday but you didn’t answer your cell and when I tried to call your home no one answered either.” She smiled at the pout she was able to hear on his voice. “So I tried again.”

“And now you got me. Is there anything wrong?”

Gray’s laughed “No. Why do you say that?”

“It’s nothing.” No need to worry the kid.

“Ok, if you say so. Hey, is Owen around?”

Claire had to make a great effort not to hang up on her nephew. He is just a kid. He doesn’t know what is happening. It’s not his fault.

“Aunt Claire?”

“I don’t know, call him to his phone.”

“I don’t have it, which is why I am asking you.”

“What do you want with him, anyway?” She mentally kicked herself for sounding so defensive.

“Zach and I had an argument and we need him to settle the score.”

“An argument?”

“Dinosaur related. Could you tell him I called once you see him?”

“I am not going to see him…I mean; I am on a business trip at the moment, so I don’t know when I will have time to talk to him.”

“Oh, business. Are you still in Puntarenas? Did you have to travel to the San Jose city? I liked the beach there, not sure about the city, never being there but I have heard it is no so bad.”

“Gray” Claire said trying to stop the kid on going on with one of his rants about interesting facts of life.

“Sorry.”

“It’s ok. I am staying at the Hilton. I will send you the number in case any of you need me and can’t reach me on the cell.”

“Sweet. Thanks, I will tell mom then. I have to go. Love you Aunt Claire.”

“Bye Gray.”

She smiled on the phone. Well, at least someone still did, she sent the sprout the Hotel and room number and threw the phone on the bed. One less thing out of the way.

\---------------------0---------------------

Owen smiled when he saw the text. He passed the devise to the other girl.

Sierra smiled “Nice.”

“He is a smart kid.”

“Well, at least now we know.”

“And?”

“Leave it to me.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is translation time
> 
> “Disculpe: excuse me  
> Le puedo preguntar algo?: can I asked you someting
> 
> “Pues claro que si, señorita” But of course, miss.
> 
> “Por casualidad usted ha visto a la mujer que vive aquí?” By any chance have you seen the woma who lives here?
> 
> “No la he visto en los últimos dos días.” Havent see her in the past couple of days  
> “por que?” why?
> 
> “Somos sus amigos y pasamos a visitarla de sorpresa pero al parecer no esta.” We are her friends and we came for a surpriced visit but I guess she is not home.
> 
> “Creo que se fue de viaje o algo así. Ayer la vi salir con una maleta e irse en un taxi.” SHe left or something. I saw her go out with suit case and take a cab.
> 
> “Oh bueno, muchas gracias.” Oh well, thank you very much.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am really sorry for not updating for more than 8 days. I was on vacations on the Holy land of San Diego Comic con and didn't really had much time to sit and write, nor I had access to a computer to do it for that matter. Still, I a apologize for not saying anything before, Forgive me, please?

Sierra was not sure if her plan was going to work or not. She knew Owen and she also knew the kind of girls he hooked up with, she had been one of the after all, yet, after making him sit down and tell her all he knew about the red head she knew this was not going to be easy, there was no way to go around the current situation: Claire was a professional woman who liked to be in control of the situations and this meant Sierra would have to drop any plan she had come up with and simply face the woman up front.

She left Owen at the kennels, he had work to do anyways and she might need some back up in case the plans went south.

_“Are you sure about this?” Owen asked as he absently pet the little puppy the girl had on her hands._

_“No, but it the only plan I have at the moment” she stopped him before he could say another word “And no, you going with me is out of the question. Let’s face it, Grady, you need to keep your distance for the time being.”_

He hadn’t been happy about that, not that she could blame him, but he understood.

And so, that was how she found herself on the beach, a few yards from the Hilton’s pool, looking at her target.

Claire was not hard to spot, and as Owen had said she was on her phone. Sierra watched the woman for a few more minutes until the moment she left the phone on the table next to her. That was her cue. Sierra put the Akita puppy on the ground “Ok buddy” she said as she put an scarf in front of the animal’s nose “Go for it.”

The dog sniffed it and broke into a run towards the pool area. Sierra started to move away from the place, knowing her plan had work the moment she heard a ‘Get back her, you mud’. She kept her façade for a couple more minutes until the puppy got back to her, sitting and dropping the phone at her feet “Good boy” Sierra priced the dog who barked happily before turning his head to look curiously at the woman who was running toward them.

“That is mine.” Claire said in an indignant voice “Can I have it back?” she stood there annoyed with her hands on her hips, waiting for the other woman to turn around and apologize. Yet, the moment she did the read head gasped “You.”

“Hello Claire, we need to talk.”

\--------------0-------------

Owen was not a man that worried much about things. Basic stuff he could cover and anything that was out of his power he tended to simply roll with it. IT was too exhausting to worry about things that were out of this control. Yet, there he was, worrying about Sierra and the fact if she was going to be able to get him a chance to fix his current mess or if things were going to end the way they were.

He wanted, needed this to work out on their favor. He didn’t want to lose the last good thing he got out of Isla Nublar.

Owen knelt in front of Blaze’s cage. The animal started growling as soon as she saw the handler.

Owen smiled, the dog kind of remind him of Blue. The Beta raptor haven’t liked him for a while, she had taken a few good bites at him before he had taken his place in the pack and she had started to trust him.

And as he saw the dog, he also notice some of himself in her. He saw and animal who had had rough life and the only way it has to care for herself was by being aggressive. And now that she was on a better situation she has no idea how to handle it. Owen knew that if he had not made the conscious decision long ago to not let his bitterness consume him and try to see the good on the little things he would be exactly like the animal in front of him.

He was a simple man, with simple needs and an easy going life style. He had learn to adjust to any given situation and pride himself of being a survivor, which was why he was surprise at his current predicament.

Owen extended his hand inside the bars of the cage and Blaze leaped to bite him. He put his hand always just in time for the animal to collide with the metal. The dog growled again. Owen sighed, this was getting him nowhere.

 He looked at the rabid animal for a moment, saw its frustration, fear, and confusion and for the first time in eight months he felt alive “Don’t worry girl, I’ll make it better. I swear.”

\--------------0-------------

Claire was not sure if she wanted to cry or simply bitch-slapped the other woman. The nerve of her to appear now, no doubt to make fun of her. But Claire was not going to give her the privilege to play with her “There is nothing to talk about. Give me back my phone.” Sierra simply smiled, which made Claire lose what little patience she had left “You know what? You have some nerve to be here. Don’t you have any decency?”

Sierra had to admit she was impress by her words, she had expected for the red head not to be too happy to see her but never really for her to get that defensive. Well, she did anticipate something like this, she could roll with it. “In this order: sorry, can’t do yet, and yes, I do have decency, my mama raised me well, thank you.” Claire seemed to be not amused by her words “Look, I know you do not like me, even if you don’t know me, but that is not why I’m here. Like I said before, we need to talk.”

Claire took her phone back from her hand “We have nothing to say to each other. Leave me alone.” Said this she started to make her way back to the hotel.

Sierra sighed, what a strong headed woman “You know, I’m still amazed at how Owen ended up with you.” That made Claire stopped and looked back. Sierra took on the chance to keep talking “Don’t get me wrong, I love the idiot and I am really happy he finally found someone to share his life with, as cheesy as it may sound, it’s just that from my point of view, you two do not make sense.”

Oh, the nerve of that woman. Not only she came here and make a mess of Claire’s barely put together life but now she has the nerve to make fan of her “I beg your pardon? I do not appreciate being picked on by…by…by a woman like you.”

“A woman like me? Oh, you mean a slut.”

“Take it as you like. Now, leave me alone.” Claire was going to start walking again when a little puppy bit the hem of her dress and start pulling back, trying to make her stay “Get this thing off me!”

Sierra laughed “Come on, Clint, let go.” The puppy did as instructed but started to growl at Claire. “Sorry, sorry. He is just trying to help.” If looks could kill, Sierra would be six feet under by now, thankfully she really didn’t care much “Sadly, like I said, I can’t do. I really need to have a word with you even if I have to force you to listen.”

“Excuse me?”

“Come on, Claire, I had in good authority you are a smart girl.”

“What the hell is your problem?!” Claire was about to lose it if this crazy woman didn’t leave her alone.

Sierra’s expression hardened “I am talking about the fact that for some mess up reason you think I am sleeping with your boyfriend. Well, let me give you a news flash, darling, I am not and never will touch that with a ten foot pole.”

“And you think I am going to believe that? I saw you two together.”

“No, what you saw was Owen behaving like a doting big brother. All I did was give him a ride back after we have one too many drinks. Nothing had happen between the two of us in more than 10 years. And I can assure you it never will. Owen and I are old friends, and right now, we have a working relationship.”

Claire looked confuse “Working relationship?”

“Yes.” She picked up the still growling pup in her arms “I offered him a job. I train Akitas to be used as police dogs and I needed some help with the pups and a very special dog I have back at my kennels. He was looking for something to do and I simply offered him a position as a trainer.”

Claire refused to believe a word that came out of the other woman’s mouth. Still, she was too tempted to believe her. If it was true it could mean everything that had happens was nothing more than a stupid misunderstanding. Yet, life was never that easy. “And you think I would believe that? I am not stupid.”

“I never said you were. Look, I know all this seems to be a little fishy, you saw your man playing around with another woman after months of secrecy and random behavior and now said woman is in front of you telling you there is nothing going on between them. It sounds way too stupid and rehearse if you think about it, yet it is the true, and if you please come with me, I can show you that I am not laying.”

“No.”

“Claire…”

“This is stupid. I am not going to believe you. I can’t.”

Sierra didn’t appreciate being told she was a liar in her own face and as if this was a boxing match she decided to go for the K.O “Tell me something, Claire, did Owen ever give you any indication that he was the kind of man you think he is right now? Did he ever, aside of his goofy self, do anything to make you think he could be using you just to pass the time?” she knew she was on the right track the moment she saw the read head’s face turned pale white “Because if you say yes, God help me, I will be force to punch you until I can slam some sense into that thick skull of yours. Now, will you come with me so we can clear all this mess once and for all?”

Claire was taken aback by the other girl’s words. Never in her life had she been treated the way she was right now and that was what made her stop and really analyzed what the other one had said. If she really thought about it, Owen had never really strike her as the kind of man at would double play, he was ridiculous and sometimes acted in stupid ways but he was a good man, even if she was mad as hell and hurt right now there was no way for her to deny that Owen was, in fact, a good man.

And for the first time in her life, she decided to go against her reasoning and give whatever this was a chance “Ok. I’ll go with you.”

 

///tbc///


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to finish it on this chapter but I have to stop writing...I forgot I have to get to work at the ungodly hour of 0400pst tomorrow. But I swear I will finish this drama tomorrow.

Owen tried for the millionth time to get Blaze to back out so he could get to her food plate and re-fill it without having to get it using the cane Sierra had been using. Unfortunately, all he had gotten so far was for the animal to stop growling at him and actually looked as if it was trying to figure out this weird human who didn’t seem scare of her and was actually trying to give her orders.

She definitely reminded him of Blue. And then it hit him, why not try and use the same tactic as she had tried with the Beta Raptor? Granted, he might get bitten but it was worth the try.

With that in mind, he took out his phone and call Sierra.

She answered at the second ring “Hey girl” he said “You have any first aid kid around the kennel by any chance?”

“What did you do, Grady?” her voice was laced with exasperation and worry.

“Nothing yet, I just want to cover the basis before I do something stupid. And you didn’t answer my question.”

“It’s on the bottom shelf, left rack in my office. God help me, Owen, you better be in one piece when we get there and or I will make your time with that crazy dinosaur look like a walk in the park.”

Owen actually laughed at that “Yes, ma’am. See you in a while.” He looked back at the cage with the dog. Well, this was going to turn out as good as it could be, so he better got to work.

\--------------0-------------

Sierra let out a long, tired sigh. That man was going to give her gray hairs before her time, she was sure of it. She drove for a few more minutes in silence. Since the moment the two of them had gotten in to the car, the red head had not said a single word, she had kept her eyes glued to the window on the passenger side and pretty much had not moved or made any sound since then. It was kind of eerie if she thought about it.

Even after being able to get the other woman to agree and come with her, Sierra was not sure if her plan was going to work. For what little she had been able to see, Claire was even harder to bite than Owen had been and knowing her friend, it was a heavy accusation. Yet, she was, if not, a woman of her word and she wouldn’t had survived her days in the military if she was less than the single-minded woman that she was.

She looked sideways the girl. For this to work she needed to get Claire out of her mood, or at least out enough for her to be willing to listen to a word either her or Grady had to say about this mess. Clearly her first approached had been flawed. She had had to resort to play dirty in order to simply make her consider to take her up to her word but now it seems she was back to square one.

Unless she played dirty again. And if she fuck it up this would blow up in her face spectacularly. Yet she was willing to get Owen whatever advantage she could.

“You know, the first time I met Owen I thought I was either in front of the finest specimen of men I had ever seen or the biggest idiot in the face of the earth.” She looked quickly at Claire, who was staring at her with a slight confuse look, before going back to pay attention to the road “I am pretty sure you can imagine what he ended up being.”

“He is an idiot.” The red head said before being able to stop herself.

Sierra laughed “He is, yet, he is one of the sexiest idiots you can find.” She didn’t have to look again to know the other woman was glaring at her “Don’t look at me like that, Claire, like I said before: there is nothing between us other than friendship and work, yet I am human and even you have to admit that he is eye candy.”

Claire was not sure if she wanted to agree or to hit her square in the face. Maybe both. Yet, the woman had a point, even her in all her coldness and aloofness had to admit that she had fell for the charming grin on the handsome face the first time she ever laid eyes on him. Part of her always felt a little envious of Owen, it seem to come so easy for him the ability to charm everyone he knew, people and dinosaurs alike, when for her it has always been a struggle to make other take her seriously. She had seen it with Karen, her sister was charming and most times than not adorable, it had always been easy for her still, Claire always felt that they put Karen on a category of ‘cute yet not to be taken into consideration’. It could sound harsh, yes, but she had seen it and she herself had lived it on those first years in which she had tried to be professional and likable. Unfortunately, Claire had chosen a field in which in order to compete with men she had had to turn into what she currently was. And maybe that was why she felt threaten by Sierra, not because she felt inferior on any way nor because she was about to diminish whatever capabilities the other had but because even she could see that in terms of compatibility Sierra and Owen made a better pair than Claire and Owen.

God, how pathetic that sounds.

Sierra’s next words took her by surprise “Sorry. I tend to be a little too honest with what I say, not a very likable quality for many yet I am a firm believer in cutting as much bullshit out of everything as possible.” Her sideways smile made Claire think on Owen’s “Keep things interesting, don’t you think?”

“Why are you doing this?” Claire asked. It looked like a stupid question given the circumstances yet she felt compelled to ask anyways. Sometimes you just needed to have things spelled to be able to grasp the reality of them.

Sierra’s expression turned serious as she kept her eyes looking forward “We are social creatures, Owen and I. We can’t be alone, we simply are not wired to be. Think of it as the need you feel to have thing under control, that burning need to have it your way. Well, that is the same for us, we have to be part of something or we lose our center. We might not look like it. I am pretty sure Owen never strike you as a man that could lose focus or his cool easily yet here we are. That was what make us gravitate toward each other the first time around. He was one of the few that understood my love for my job and my dogs, one of the few that saw the importance it has for me to feel part of what we were trying to achieved, and having similar personalities didn’t hurt one bit at the time.”

Claire stared at Sierra, part of her was waiting, wanting to be mad at what she was saying, what she was implying but there was so much honesty behind those words, she was only able to hear intently, looking for the meaning of whatever she was trying to say. “You loved him?”

“I love him, there is no past tense in that, but not in the way that might think. I said it before, Claire, I think of him like a brother, we have our history yet that is in the past. Right now, you are what he wants and I am going to play the bitch if I have to in order to get both of you to fix whatever it is that is going on. Because, you and I know that this _‘he cheating on you fiasco’_ is not really the problem.”

Claire looks away. Was she really that transparent?

“Don’t say a word. It is not me who needs to hear whatever is going on inside that red head of yours.”

\--------------0-------------

Well, if he was being honest with himself things didn’t end as bad as he thought they will. Yes, he was bleeding and his hand hurt like a bitch but at least he had been able to stay inside the kennel without Blaze wanting to rip his head off. As a matter of fact he would call it a success, if having the dog sitting quietly at his feet, ignoring his very existence could be consider progress. He smiled as he patted the animal once on the head before getting out and closing the cage behind. Call him crazy but he felt more animated than he had been in months.

Some treacherous part of his mind said he should feel ashamed about such declaration, wasn’t he being happy before? Or as happy as he could giving the circumstances? The answer was yes, he had been happy, despise everything that went down he had really been.

He shook his head. He was not going to start psychoanalyzing himself, besides, it never was a good idea to start answering to those weird voices in his head.

He made his way back into Sierra’s office and took the first aid kid out. It was a pretty decent one and by the amount of sterile bandages, thread and needle, and antibiotic ointment, his friend had been doing this pretty frequently. Owen sat on the chair and started to care for his injury.

He was so focus on his task that he didn’t hear the sound of a car pulling on the driveway nor the footsteps moving towards where he was. What caught his total and complete attention, however, was the sound of a familiar voice. Owen swore his heart skipped a beat when he hear the shy “Owen.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not as good as I would like but I am happy with it. What happen next with their story, well, I feel like writing a funny epilogue.

“Owen” Claire called out; her voice not as confident as she would have liked but she had a tendency to not be able to be the control woman she was around him, never had, and apparently never will.

God, she wasn’t sure if she had ever felt so many emotions at the same time before. She was scared out of her mind, furious beyond reason and another thousand things she was not capable to punt into words.

Owen could not help but smile. How he loved to see her there. “Hi.”  Very eloquent, Grady.

Claire returned his smile before she notice the mess he had around him. She paled at the sight of bloody bandages all over the surface of the desk “Jesus, Are you ok? What happen?” she asked as she closed the distance between the two, taking his damaged hand in hers. “Oh my God, What where you doing?!” 

Owen’s smiled turned even brighter. This definitely was neither the moment nor the time for him to be all happy about Claire being Claire but how he could not? Seeing her being her nagging self gives him hope. He looked from over the red head shoulder and saw Sierra. For a moment they simply stared at each other before his friend nodded and made her way outside, leaving them alone. He got his attention back to Claire who was looking at his injury “It is nothing. I am fine.”

Claire glared at him “Nothing? You need stitches! What where you doing?! You are always like this, just jumping on whatever you think you need to do without having any regard on your safety or on what the rest of us might thing if something ever happens to you!”

He was taken aback by the force behind her words “Hey” he said in a calm voice; trying to placate her “It is ok. It looks worse than it is.”

Claire looked up, looking directly into the handler’s eyes. She was not sure what she was trying to find there but in the end she averted her eyes, let go of his hand and move back, putting some space between the two.

This was awkward to say the least. She had come here to give Owen a chance to explain himself yet she hadn’t think on who was going to start the conversation or even in how they were going to address it. As Sierra had said in the car, this went deeper than just what she thought had or hadn’t happen between the animal handlers.

Let’s face it, her strengths was on careful lay out plans, statistics and number, not mushy stuff.

She rolled her eyes; she seriously needed to stop reading those stupid novels.

Owen could see her struggle, it was so easy to read her, it always had been, especially after this time together he had learned to distinguish her moods. The times she wasn’t able to express what was on her mine from the times she simply didn’t want to talk about it. And right now it was a combination of the two. If he didn’t do anything she was going to ended up deciding this was too much trouble and give up. Well, he wasn’t about to waste his chance.

“Claire.” She continue to advert her eyes. He tried again “Claire, look at me.” it took her a moment but she did as he asked “I am sorry. I know is not going to fix a thing but please believe me when I say I am really sorry about all this.”

She did, god help her, she believe him. Yet, she was not about to forgive him or anything until she was able to get a clear picture. “What happened, Owen?”

And that was the one million dollar question, wasn’t it?

His hand went through his hair, a nervous gesture he had since childhood. How could he explain when he wasn’t even sure he understood it himself completely? Or without sounding like an idiot that is? Well, as Barry always says ‘Honesty is the best policy. And no one in history had died from swallowing his pride.’ “I don’t really know. I guess, I felt alone.”

Ok, that wasn’t exactly what Claire was thinking he would say. She was expecting something along the lines of ‘I got bored’ or ‘I am not interest in this anymore’ but alone was definitely not in the list. “Why?” was all she could come up with.

“I don’t know. God, Claire, it not like that.” he started as he saw the defeated look in her eyes “It has nothing to do with you.” He cringed at his choice of words “I am not giving a good impression right know, am I?”

For some reason, Claire smiled at his antics; it was kind of funny to see him struggle to explain himself when he usually was a pain in the ass, especially with his habit to add innuendos to everything. She hadn’t forgotten about the _Consult with him_ fiasco. Because he lived to remind her now that they actually got at it in a damn bungalow. “Just…just explain, I don’t care how it sounds, I just need you to explain.”

He sighed “It is not you. This” he gesture around and then to him “It’s not a product of anything you did or didn’t do. This, this is me not being able to find my center again. I am sorry I didn’t say anything and let this go for so long till the point we are right now but I didn’t want to bother you with it. God knows you have enough on your plate as it is.”

“It’s not true.” She said, looking straight at him again realizing the true behind Sierras words. Happy how she could see what the other girl meat about being Pack animals. How could she had not notice it before? Simple, she was used to be alone, to do everything by herself; she was used to it, to deal with thing on her way. But not Owen, he was an independent man, yes, but she could see now the meaning behind it all “I, I guess I am also sorry.”

“Why on earth are you sorry for, woman?”

She huffed at him and was about to lash out when she looked down to see the small poodle of blood at his feet “Owen, your hand!” she sighed, but of course he would forget about. It was so him “Sit down and let me have a look.”

“I am fine.”

“I said sit down.”

He did as she commanded. For the next few minutes there was silence between the two while Claire expertly cleaned, sewed and bandaged his hand. It always had amazed him how she did not look like the part but the girl was a total girl scout. “Do you miss them?” she asked after a while.

He sighed “All the damn time.”

“Did you miss it?”

Owen took her face in his free hand “Yes, but not like you imagine” he said with a smile “I am sorry I didn’t say a word yet you must understand that I am not use to rely on others.”

“Others outside your pack, you mean” She clarified.

He raised a questioning eyebrow “My pack?”

Claire nodded “I got a little _insight_ from your friend.”

“Please, tell me you two did not become friends. Something tells me that would not dwell well for me.”

“Owen.”  

“Sorry. I guess you could say that. I am used to have people and things around, I’m used to feel useful and after all this time I haven’t been able to find anything similar, at least not until Sierra came into the picture.”

“Why her?” she didn’t intend to sound so bitter but she couldn’t help it.

“Because she understands.”

“And I can’t? Don’t say it’s not the same. I am not as naive or disinterest as not to be able to try and help if you ask it of me.”

“I know, and look how we ended up because I have my head up my ass. I love you, Claire, and that is something that is not going to change no matter what. Hell, I even adore your damn nephews, I must say it is fun to have them around.”

She smiled, it really made her happy to know that in such a short time he had come to care so much for her and her family, especially because she was just coming around it too. She never had thing about it, not until the disaster and her time with him. And she would never give Karen the satisfaction of being right. “Ok.”

“Ok?”

She smiled at him. Damn all this. She was willing to give it a chance. It had paid off so far, why couldn’t keep working? "Yes. But I have a condition: no more secrets. If something happens you talk about it.”

Owen fixed Claire with a questioning look “Me?”

“Fine, we both start talking about whatever it is bothering us.”

He smiled his most charming smile before he surged forward and kissed her.  As she kissed him back, he decided he could live with that. It might be a little difficult and he still needed to work on his social skill, meaning he needed to start merging his past life with the current one. He also knew it was not going to be easy for her, she was not exactly the most communicative person in the planet but as they came up for and she returned his smile with one of her own, he knew they would make it work.

 

TBC

 


End file.
